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Privileges Guide [PDF]

Who is eligible to use the Library?

The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library serves the Yale New Haven Medical Center community, whose members are automatically eligible for all of its services. The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library also serves the health information needs of Yale University. Faculty, permanent staff and registered students from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health are provided library privileges at all Yale University Libraries including Sterling Memorial Library, Kline Science Library, and the Law Library.

For individuals not included in one of the groups above, the Circulation Desk at the Medical Library accepts applications for library privileges between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. For further information and assistance, please direct inquiries to the staff at the Circulation Desk or call (203) 785-5354 or send a message to circdesk@email.med.yale.edu. The Medical Library Administration office accepts corporate applications Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For further assistance, please direct inquiries to (203) 785-5352.

Patrons must present a permanent Yale University or a Yale New-Haven Hospital or Yale New-Haven Medical Center identification card for library privileges. Privileges are personal and individual. They may not be transferred to, or used on behalf of other individuals.

The intent of these regulations is to ensure access to the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library for the members of the Yale community, and at the same time, to make its rich resources available to other qualified students and health care providers. It is not possible to offer service to non-Yale undergraduate college students, high school or elementary school students except as indicated below.

1. Premium Service

Premium service entitles a user to the full use of the Library and its services including Interlibrary Loan and the use of MEDLINE and other electronic resources. (Patron use restrictions apply to some licensed databases.) Premium privileges may not be purchased.

Book Paging A book paging service is available for premium service users. Books may be paged from the general collection to the Circulation Desk for patron pick-up. There is no fee for this service.

Premium service is provided to all members of the Yale University community and the Yale-New Haven Medical Center. Premium privileges are also extended to all Yale-New Haven Medical Center permanent staff including the Connecticut Mental Health Center, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Haskins Laboratory, and the J.B. Pierce Foundation.

As a courtesy, Medical Library premium privileges excluding Interlibrary Loan are granted to the following institutions and their affiliated health professionals: the APT Foundation, the Fair Haven Health Clinic, the Hill Health Center and the Connecticut Veterans Administration Hospital.

Visiting faculty, graduate students, health professionals in-training or those on rotations at the Yale-New Haven Hospital are eligible for premium service. Non-matriculationg Yale students must register at the Sterling Memorial Library Privileges Office.

Privileges for members of the Yale-New Haven Health System are currently being discussed and will be implemented on an institutional basis.

2. Basic Service

Basic Service entitles a user to borrowing privileges, stack access, and collection use, as well as the use of the Yale Online Catalog and the Medical Library Web site. Remote access to licensed electronic resources is available only to members of the Yale community due to site license agreements.

Basic service is provided to the spouses of Yale faculty, permanent staff, and registered students. Science Park employees receive basic service privileges upon registration at the Sterling Memorial Library Privileges Office. Basic service privileges are also extended upon request to members of the New Haven Dental Association, the Hospital of Saint Raphael, and the New Haven Health Department, and the Career High School.

Borrowing privileges are available to casual or temporary employees if a faculty member acts as a proxy. Employees may apply for proxy privileges at the Circulation Desk in the Medical Library. At the time of application, a letter on Yale letterhead must be submitted stating the reason and length of time proxy privileges are needed.

Yale alumni are granted borrowing privileges for occasional library use. Alumni wishing to make extended use of the Library may purchase borrowing privileges for a fee of $15.00 per month or $150.00 per year.

Faculty and graduate students from Research Libraries Group (RLG) institutions may purchase borrowing privileges for a fee of $25.00 per month. Stack access is free of charge.

Individuals with no Yale affiliation may purchase basic library privileges. This includes persons with a vocational need or those engaged in scholarly work, including faculty and graduate students at other institutions. The fee is $65.00 per month with a minimum of 3 months at $195.00 or $710.00 per year. Please contact the staff at the Circulation Desk to arrange for basic service privileges.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan is a service for Yale affiliated users to obtain material not available in the Medical Library. This service is not extended to basic service users, alumni, spouses and non-affiliated users. Interlibrary Loan services may not be purchased.

Document Delivery

Individuals with no Yale affiliation may use the Loansome Doc document delivery service to request a photocopy of an article or to borrow a book from the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library. There is a fee for this service. For additional information or to register for the Loansome Doc service, please call (203) 785-5358. Requests for materials not available in the Medical Library may be forwarded to another medical library.

3. Stack Access

Stack access provides a user access to the Library book and journal collection. The stack access fee is $30.00 per month or $360.00 per year.

Stack access is granted without charge to the following categories of users:

Medical Library Associates

Clergy in the greater New Haven area who devote their full time to a parish, church or synagogue

Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from RLG institutions

Federal officials stationed in the New Haven area for the official work of their agencies

Matriculating undergraduate students rotating through Yale-New Haven Hospital

State and local government officials

Yale alumni

Yale University and Yale-New Haven Medical Center casual or temporary employees and volunteers

A stack access card will be provided upon the presentation of a current identification card. Please contact the staff at the Circulation Desk to arrange for stack access.

4. Day Access

Day access provides a user access to the Library book and journal collection for a short period of time. Day access is available to individuals with special needs related to health care.

The following individuals may use the Library on a limited basis:

(1) Adults in the New Haven area with a needs related to health care.

(2) Undergraduate and graduate students who reside in Connecticut, but are enrolled at institutions outside of Connecticut may use the library during the Christmas and spring recess days.

Non-Yale undergraduate students that wish to use the library on an occasional basis must furnish a letter from the librarian at their institution stating the reason they need to use the Medical Library.

Please contact the staff at the Circulation Desk to register for a day pass.

5. Corporate Privileges

Corporations, businesses and law firms may purchase basic service privileges. Basic service provides individuals within an organization with borrowing privileges, stack access and collection use as well as the use of the Yale Online Catalog and the Medical Library Web site. Corporate member contributions benefit the Medical Library by providing additional funding for the development and maintenance of the collection and resources. For further information and to obtain an application, please call the Administration Office (203) 785-5352.